The Palomino Pony Steals the Show

by Olivia Tuffin

  “We did it, Georgia! I got the place and it’s all thanks to you!” she cried, reaching over to hug her friend.

  “Ouch!” Georgia said, smiling, as she rearranged her leg, and Jodie gasped.

  “Oh, my goodness, Georgia. I’m so sorry, I forgot about that!”

  “It’s OK,” Georgia said truthfully. In fact, her bruised leg was already feeling better after some painkillers, and Jodie’s news had filled her with happiness. Lily, her little mare, had given Jodie back her dream! She just felt a little sad that she had missed the announcement. “That’s brilliant news! But how did Serena take it?” she asked cautiously.

  “You missed all the drama!” Jodie was waving her hands around as she explained how Richard and Henry had had a huge argument before Henry had stormed off. Henry had given Jodie and Sebastian the lowest marks he could get away with, and Serena the highest. This had raised eyebrows among the panel, especially as it meant that Serena had come out on top, with Henry’s marks dragging down Jodie and Sebastian. Richard had then been handed a letter outlining Henry’s involvement with the Van der Hawks’ yard.

  “Who gave him that?” Georgia asked in astonishment, and a frown crossed Daisy’s face.

  “It was me,” she said. “I’ve been doing a bit of investigative work over the last couple of days.” Daisy explained she had raised enough suspicions among the panel to confront Henry, who wasn’t able to deny it. His scores had been written off and the allegations would be looked into by the officials. “We can’t prove that Serena set out to harm Jackson and Lily, of course,” Daisy said. “So we just have to hope that she’s learned her lesson, and that she now knows that she can’t have everything her way.”

  Georgia nodded as she sank back down on to the hospital pillow. She was utterly delighted that Jodie had her place. But Richard’s words regarding the offer for Lily were playing over and over in her mind.

  Georgia felt as though her stomach was turning over in knots. Although the doctor had told her that she had fainted because she had been standing on her bad leg all day, Georgia knew it had to be more than that. It had to be the possibility of Lily being sold. The thought of losing Lily was enough to break her heart in two.

  Given a clean bill of health, Georgia was soon discharged from the hospital with strict instructions to ice and rest her leg, and take some more painkillers. Daisy drove her back the short distance to Rosefolly and as they wound up the long drive through the beautiful grounds, Georgia reflected on how much had happened during the week since Melanie had driven the horsebox up.

  She had realised what it was that made her happiest, but in doing so had put Lily firmly in front of the people who could make big things happen for her. As they rounded the corner and she saw the Haydens’ familiar dark-green lorry, she felt her heart sink. Melanie was deep in conversation with the judges on the panel. Even worse, she was holding what looked like an envelope, and nodding intently. Suddenly Georgia was dreading the journey home.

  “Georgia!” Melanie was all smiles as she climbed gingerly out of Daisy’s car. “I was so worried. Your poor mum rang me while I was on my way here!”

  “I’m OK.” Georgia limped across to where they were standing outside Lily’s stable. Truthfully, the pain in her leg was nothing in comparison to the pain she would feel if Lily was sold.

  “Gave me a bit of a fright, young lady,” Richard chuckled as he patted Lily, who was staring at Georgia with her ears pricked.

  Georgia smiled weakly and tears stung her eyes as Richard shook Mel’s hand.

  “Just let me know your decision,” he said, tilting his hat at both of them.

  “Thanks, Richard. Ready to go home?” Melanie patted Georgia’s shoulder, and she nodded. She’d never been more ready to get back to Redgrove.

  While Melanie packed up Lily’s belongings, telling Georgia firmly to sit on a hay bale and rest, Georgia gave her new friend Jodie a big hug. She decided their friendship was one of the best things to come out of her week at the stables.

  Sebastian, loading his big bay into the most luxurious metallic-white horsebox, gave her a grin and high-fived her. He had turned out to be not so bad after all, and Georgia was amused to witness him swap phone numbers with a blushing Jodie. It made her think of Dan, and she frowned. She wondered yet again what Dan had been up to during the week when everyone was telling her a different story. Was she about to lose both her beloved mare and Dan? Or were neither of them ever really hers to lose?

  After saying goodbye to Daisy, Georgia clambered into the front of the lorry and waved through the window. Melanie expertly guided the horsebox out of the yard and down the long drive, as Georgia gazed at the deer that were grazing next to the road. She longed to ask Melanie about Richard’s offer but didn’t dare raise the subject as she dreaded what the answer might be. They chatted lightly about the week, and Sophie’s cross-country ride on Wilson, but it was obvious that there were unspoken words hanging between them.

  Melanie seemed about to tell her something, but kept stopping herself. “I’m going to make a stop in a few minutes,” she told Georgia after about half an hour had passed. “I could do with a coffee and I’m sure Lily would appreciate being looked in on.”

  “OK.” Georgia paused. Then, before she could stop herself, her words came out all in a rush. “So the team selector has made an offer for Lily,” she mumbled. “They want her for the young riders’ team, don’t they? I just wondered… I mean … would you sell her?”

  “Well…” Melanie kept her eyes firmly on the road as she replied, and Georgia felt her heart crash through her chest. This couldn’t be happening.

  “You know that’s the sort of offer an owner really should consider, Georgia … and Lily really is a brilliant pony.” Melanie spoke as gently as possible, as if trying to lessen Georgia’s hurt.

  Georgia felt her throat constrict and her legs grow shaky. She tried to stop the tears from spilling over as she nodded, feeling totally numb.

  Flicking the indicator, Melanie eased the big green lorry off the motorway and came to a steady halt in the service-station car park. Georgia felt Lily shift her weight in the back of the vehicle.

  “We’ll talk about this more in a minute. I’ll go and get the drinks; you check Lily,” Melanie said as she unbuckled her seat belt and reached for her purse, which was sitting under the dashboard. Opening it, she scrabbled around and then gave a frown. “Oh, Georgia,” she said. “You don’t have a spare pound, do you? I haven’t got any change.”

  Georgia nodded and reached into her backpack. Pulling out a one-pound coin she handed it over to Melanie, who smiled.

  “Thanks!” she called as she jumped down from the lorry. “I won’t be long.” Taking the opportunity to have a few precious minutes with the little palomino, Georgia clambered into the living area and opened the jockey door. Lily blinked back at her before giving a whicker. She was happily munching at her hay net, and she paused as Georgia rested her face against her cheek, feeling the mare so warm and solid, before closing her eyes and giving a shuddering sigh. Lily was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

  But Georgia knew Lily’s future was out of her hands. Melanie legally owned the little palomino pony, and there was nothing Georgia could do about that.

  “Hot chocolate, your favourite!” Melanie called at the entrance to the living area, and reluctantly Georgia gave Lily a final pat before going back to her seat. She and Melanie sat in silence, sipping the hot drinks. Finally Georgia plucked up the courage to ask Melanie what she was going to do.

  “Georgia,” Melanie said gently. “I’ve had to really think about this carefully.”

  As she spoke, Georgia felt her heart thumping and her palms grow hot. She thought she might start to cry, and swallowed hard as Melanie continued, talking about a once in a lifetime opportunity. Finally, she picked up an envelope from the seat next to Georgia, and handed it over. “The offer is in this envelope.”

  Reluctantly, slowly, Georgia tore the env
elope open and unfolded the letter. The offer was for a huge amount. Her eyes swam with tears, before she gave a start, and looked closely at the letter as a smile crossed Melanie’s face. The letter was addressed to Miss Georgia Black, not Mrs Melanie Hayden.

  Looking from the letter to Mel and back again as Melanie tried to hide her grin, Georgia shook her head, trying to understand. “What?” Her voice was croaky as she tried to speak. “I don’t get it! Why is the letter addressed to me? I’m not her owner!”

  “It’s your choice to make.” Melanie patted Georgia’s hand. “Georgia, Lily is yours! I may have officially owned her but she’s always been your pony. I need to send her paperwork off to the Welsh Pony Society to transfer her ownership over to you, and the pound you gave me was just to make it all legal. It’s an age-old horseman thing.” She gave a wink. “I didn’t mean to make you worry so much, but I wanted to get everything sorted out before I told you.”

  Georgia shook her head, feeling totally bewildered as Melanie explained she had been planning to sell Lily to Georgia all along but then Richard had made his offer and that had brought things to a head.

  “Don’t you recognise where we are?” Melanie smiled and gestured around her at the service station.

  Georgia thought hard. It looked like every other one of the concrete-grey services they had driven into on one of their many journeys in the horsebox over the years.

  “It’s the one we stopped at on the way back from Wales – do you remember?” Melanie said gently. “You and Dan were soaking wet and freezing cold and Lily was looking a state, but you saw something beautiful in her. You were the one who convinced me to take a chance! She’s been your special mare since then, a pony of a lifetime! And you made the right choice yesterday. You followed your heart.”

  Completely choked, Georgia shook her head again, trying to find the right words. She couldn’t speak, and managed to only croak out thank you. It felt completely inadequate but Melanie understood. She turned the key in the ignition and gave Georgia a big smile.

  “Come on,” she chuckled. “Let’s get you home to Redgrove, where you both belong.”

  “Georgia, I’ve missed you so much!” Emma hugged her friend as Georgia climbed carefully down from the cab after the horsebox pulled into Redgrove. The lights were on in the yard and Wilson, Callie and Santa whinnied in unison, ears pricked as Lily answered them.

  “I’ve missed you as well.” Georgia linked her arm in Emma’s. “It’s been quite a week.” Looking around the yard, she felt herself relax. It was early evening and the ponies were in for the night. The yard had never looked so welcoming. Lily was soon settled back into her stable with a sigh, as Emma and Melanie helped remove her travelling bandages and put her stable rug on.

  “Where’s Will?” Georgia asked as she leaned against the stable door for support. Her leg was stiff after the long journey and she was looking forward to a hot bath when she got home.

  “Here!” a familiar voice replied and, turning, Georgia grinned at the sight of the ever-cheerful Will, who was just returning from the hay barn. “Hey, G!” he chuckled, sweeping her up into a hug. “I heard a bit about what happened. For the record, I think you made the right choice.” He paused. “If you don’t want to do something one hundred per cent, then it’s not for you.”

  “So you don’t think Lily is wasted then?” Georgia asked, still looking for reassurance, and Will shook his head.

  “No way,” he said firmly. “She’s proved herself already for you. Also, with the way you turned her around, people will be queuing up to send their ponies to you, if that’s what you still want to do when you leave school.”

  Georgia smiled. Will was really sensible when it came to horsey matters, partly because of his own experience. “By the way,” she asked curiously, realising Dan wasn’t there to meet her, “have you been hanging around with Dan loads this week?” Her heart sank as she noticed Will couldn’t quite meet her eye.

  “Well, a bit, here and there, haven’t seen that much of him…” he mumbled vaguely, and Georgia knew she’d been right – Dan was hiding something. That was probably why he wasn’t here tonight, she thought sadly. She had wanted him to be the first person she told about Lily officially belonging to her.

  Feeling suddenly exhausted after such an intense week, she had never been more grateful to see her mum’s little car trundle slowly up the drive and Mrs Black jump out to give Georgia a huge hug. “I’ve missed you both!” Georgia’s mum reached out a hand to Lily, who stuck her head over the stable door, knowing Mrs Black normally came with carrots for a treat!

  “Did you know, Mum, about Lily?” Georgia reached an arm round the little mare’s neck. It still hadn’t sunk in yet that she owned her, and Mrs Black laughed.

  “We’ve been planning it a while,” she said with a wink. “We will come to some arrangement over the livery, but Mel said you can work in your holidays towards it. But as long as your schoolwork doesn’t slip, I’m happy for you. I’ve seen a real change in you, Georgia, since Lily came along.” Then, noticing her daughter wince as she shifted the weight on her legs, she took Georgia’s arm. “Come on, you,” she said firmly. “I think you’ve had enough for one day.”

  Rolling over in her bed, Georgia blinked at the light streaming through her curtains. Pip, overjoyed her young mistress was home again, crawled on her tummy up towards her, covering her face in kisses.

  Chuckling, Georgia patted her. “Sorry, old girl,” she smiled. “I can’t walk you up to the stables today. Come on, let’s see if Mum will take us up.”

  Her mum was already up and nursing a coffee at the kitchen table and was only too happy to give Georgia a lift. The bruising on Georgia’s leg was turning into a rainbow of colour, but the swelling was going down and it felt much better. Even so, she couldn’t manage her normal cycle ride. Dan had texted her when she arrived home the previous evening, promising her he would see her today, but she had been too exhausted to reply.

  A crescendo of whinnies greeted Georgia as she limped through the yard gates that morning. With the sunshine burning off the last of the earlier frost and daffodils starting to appear in the neat flower beds bordering the little yard, Redgrove had never looked prettier. Even better, Lily, her very own pony, was waiting in the stable. Georgia smiled happily. It would take a while to get used to saying that she owned her beloved pony!

  It took a couple of seconds to work out that there was a pony missing from the line-up. Wilson’s kind bay face wasn’t hanging over his stable door as usual, and Georgia felt her heart stop. However, Will appeared by her side and told her that Wilson was absolutely fine.

  “Come and see him, G. He’s in the outdoor arena!” Will took her arm and guided Georgia towards the small woodchipped school where she and Will practised their flatwork.

  Bemused, Georgia followed him. Why were Will’s eyes sparkling with mischief? As she rounded the hay barn, putting her hands over her eyes to shield against the bright sunshine, Georgia had to look twice. Mel was in the middle of the arena, holding on to a lunge line, and Wilson was trotting obediently round her in a circle. The figure riding the steady bay looked familiar. The rider was concentrating hard, was a little wobbly and holding firmly on to a neck strap, but they looked pretty good. It was Dan!

  “What the…” Georgia rubbed her eyes again, unsure if she was seeing things as, smiling to herself, Mel brought Wilson to a halt.

  Patting the big bay on his neck, Dan swung easily down from the saddle and, holding on to the reins, crossed over to Georgia and hugged her with his free hand.

  “What’s going on?” Georgia asked again, totally bewildered.

  “This is what I’ve been doing all week!” Dan grinned, his arm still round Georgia, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. “I figured if you can’t beat them, join them!”

  Georgia listened, a slow smile spreading across her face as Dan explained that everyone had helped him – Will, Sophie, Mel and Emma. He had been having lessons every day
so he could surprise Georgia. He had been practising every minute he wasn’t at the farm, and Mel had even been giving him stable-management lessons. “Only no one thought to keep to the same story. We should have thought about that!” Dan chuckled, and Georgia nodded, feeling embarrassed; it was all making sense now!

  “I was so worried!” she blurted out before she could stop herself. “I thought… I thought…” she stammered, trying to think of the right words.

  “You thought I’d grown bored of you,” Dan said gently, and he smiled his wide sunny smile. “No way, Georgia. Quite the opposite. This is what we can do in the summer when I’m not milking and stuff. You can teach me how to do that funny long trot you do!”

  “Extensions!” Georgia laughed. “And that would be amazing,” she added shyly. She couldn’t believe Dan had been learning to ride in secret, just so he could spend more time with her. Life was full of surprises at the moment. Her tummy backflipped several times. And to think she had been worrying all week over nothing. The two of them smiled at each other, and Georgia blushed as she noticed Melanie wink at her. Never in a million years had she expected this, and yet it seemed so right.

  A few weeks later Dan and Georgia hacked together down the quiet lanes back towards Redgrove. It was a warm March day and the verges were covered in daffodils and primroses, a welcome splash of colour after such a cold winter. Both ponies were in high spirits. Dan was a natural in the saddle, as his easy affinity with animals meant he was relaxed and kind, and he had just had his first canter across the open downs above Redgrove. He was still grinning from ear to ear, declaring it the best adrenalin rush.

  As they wandered back to the yard, in no particular hurry, Georgia reflected on how happy she was with her decision about not taking Lily on any further. They had a few shows lined up, but not many, and Janey, who had been good-natured about Georgia’s withdrawal from the assessment day, had signed Lily up straight away for the Pony Club dressage team. Georgia was already practising hard for the area competition in a couple of weeks’ time. She was in regular contact with Jodie, who had moved Jackson to Rosefolly now that she had a training bursary. Her first dressage competition as a squad member had been a huge success and she had taken the individual silver on Jackson.